Packaging means



Feb. 7, 11967 J. MAssMAN ETAL PACKAGING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledJan. 12, 1965 //vv/vTo es JA C/ MAfiE/MAA/ 44,4 7THEW ALLEN By A GENT J.MASSMAN ETAL Feb. 7,, 196? PACKAGING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan.12, 1965 5 M m 5 ms A M K c A J 44A 7THEW ALLEN AGE VT United StatesPatent 3,3tl2,780 PAQKAGHNG MEANS Jack Massman, 807 Qinthia SL, BeverlyHills, Cal f. 90210, and Matthew Allen, Los Angeles, C2llf.; said Allenassi or to said Massman Fiij d Jan. 12, 19565, Ser. No. 424,917 11Claims. (Cl. Hie-46) This invention relates to packaging means, and moreparticularly to a packaging container or bag havlng 1mproved means forgaining entrance into and exit from the package so that the package mayaccommodate large parts or items and particularly those items havingirregular configurations.

The present invention is an improvement in packaging means such as isset forth in U.S. Patent 3,138,248 issued June 23, 1964. Such a packagehas been-found particularly applicable to the packaging of fragileindustrlal parts which are especially susceptible to damage occurringfrom rough handling or accidental dropping of these parts duringshipment or storage.

The packaging envelope covered by the aforementioned patent includes anobject receiving compartment and a fluid tight compartment which arecomprised of flexlble plastic film material inter connected at the edgesso that the formed respective compartments define a slit opening forgaining access into the envelope. The prior 1nvention further includesan impact shock absorbing foam cushion which is contained in theenvelope within the object receiving compartment for resilientlysupporting the object while in transport. Means for introducing agaseous fluid into the fluid tight compartment are. provided for skinpacking the object contained in the object receiving compartment againstthe foam cushion to thereby render the object immobile within the objectreceiving compartment.

Difficulties have been encountered when employing packaging mean-s suchas is set forth in the aforementioned patent, when attempting to packthe package with a relatively large part or equipment and particularlyso when such part or equipment is of irregular configuration orexcessively heavy. For example, it is to be noted that the patentedpackage includes a slit-type opening 20 through which an object 22 maybe inserted followed by the closing of entrance Ztl by a suitable slidefastener. This opening means has been found to be suitable for partshaving a size which is substantially smaller than the length of the slitopening 2! through which the part may be inserted and particularly whenthe configuration of the part does not offer any particular protrusions,extensions or other irregularities in contour which would make itawkward to be inserted through the entrance to the package. In fact, ithas been found to be extremely diflicult if not prohibitive to insertitems or equipment such as a typewriter or printed circuit board or thelike into the prior art package since the ends of the movable carriageof atypewriter or the sharp protruding pins of a circuit board are proneto snag or catch portions of the envelope as the part is passed throughthe limited entrance area in the prior art package.

Furthermore, difliculties have also been encountered when installing acushion layer or a plurality of layers of cushioning material, such asifOZlIIl for example, into the compartment of the package intended toreceive the cushioning means. Again, this difliculty is due largely tothe necessity of employing relatively large slabs or layers of cushionmaterial which makes it difiicult to insert through the limited slittype opening as provided for in the prior art package. Generally, thelayers or slabs are square so that the corners easily bind on the edgesof the opening slit and proper seating of layers or slabs into thespecially configured cushion compartment so that the layer corners willbe properly accommodated is difiicult. Particularly when packagingproduction requirements are high, having a single slit-type openingmeans has been found to be time consuming as well as difficult to pack.

Therefore, it can be seen that the packaging means covered by theaforementioned patent is not suitable for either productionmanufacturing techniques or for readily packing parts having irregularcontours and particularly of large physical size or heavy Weight. Ingeneral, the improved packaging means of the present invention comprisesa plastic container or bag which has a first fluid tight compartmentconnected by a flexible hinge to a second compartment for receiving acushioning material such as represented by a foam composition. Aremovable partition or wall is'placed on top of the foam for supportingthe object. The removable partitionsupports the object when the gaseousfluid is introduced into the fluid tight compartment to skin pack theobject against the supporting wall or partition.

By employing the improved packaging means of the present invention, itcan be seen that after the proper determination of foam density andthickness, the layer or layers of foam or cushioning material can beplaced in position within the cushion receiving compartment followed bythe placement of the separate wall or partition on the top of thecushion material and the placement of the object to be transported ontothe supporting surface of the separate wall. Inasmuch as the object needonly be laid onto the partition, it is not necessary to insert theobject past a restrictive or limited opening and to close the objectreceiving compartment it is necessary only to rotate the fluid tightcompartment on its flap hinge to cover the object and to activate theslide fastener around three sides of the package so that the fluid tightcompartment is brought into direct operable relationship with the objectand the side walls of the foam receiving compartment.

Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide animproved and novel packaging means in which an object to be transportedof irregular contour and relatively large physical size may be easilyand readily packed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel andimproved packaging means whereby various layers of foam or a contouredlayer of cushion material may be readily installed into the packageduring assembly which avoids the problems of binding contact orinterference with other parts of the package.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a packaging meanswherein a fluid tight compartment is hingea bly connected on one side toa cushion receiving compartment so that an item or object to be packedmay be readily placed in pushion receiving compartment and covered 'bythe fluid tight compartment without causing damage to either the item orthe packaging means.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide animproved packaging means which includes a fluid tight compartment and acushion receiving compartment which are hingea'bly connected togetherand which further includes a removable partition which may be placed ontop of the installed cushion for supporting an object against which thefluid compartment may be disposed and held in position by slidefastening means which joins the cushion compartment and the fluid tightcompartment to encircle and encase the object and the removablepartition.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. The presentinvention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood byreference to the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an improved packaging containerembodying the present invention with portions broken away to show theinternal construction thereof; and

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the packagingcontainer of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view of another embodiment of the presentinvention having a modified fluid tight compartment;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged top view of a portion of the packaging meansshown in the direction of arrows 4-4 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of still another embodiment of thepresent invention showing the packaging means of FIGURE 3 incorporatingside panels to complete the enclosure of the packed object.

Referring to FIGURES l and 2, a generally rectangular packaging means inaccordance with the present invention is shown as indicated by arrow 7for holding an item or object 12 having a fluid tight compartmentillustrated in the general direction of arrow 8 and a cushioncompartment illustrated in the general direction of arrow 9. The fluidtight compartment is constituted of walls 10 and 11 which are made offlexible plastic films and are heat sealed at their interconnectingedges to form the fluid tight compartment. Along three sides of thefluid tight compartment, there is provided an edge marginal strip 13which may be integral with one of the walls of the fluid tightcompartment or it may be a separate strip which has been heat sealed,sewn or cemented to the composite fluid tight compartment. Walls 10 and11 may be made of transparent or pigmented film, as desired. The fluidtight compartment is provided with a suitable means for introducing agaseous fluid therein, such as a Roberts air valve 14 in wall 10.

The cushion compartment 9 takes the form of an open, box like structureconstituted of parallel side walls 15 and 16 and parallel end walls 17and 18 secured along their lower edges to a common bottom 20. The wallsand bottom are preferably made of a plastic material, such as vinyl andthe junctures of the walls and bottom to provide corners and matingsurfaces may be suitably heat sealed at their respective edges to formthe compartment. The cushion compartment contains a suitable cushion,such as may be composed of a foam plastic, generally designated by thenumeral 21. A single foam cushion may be employed or as shown in thedrawings, a sandwich construction of two or more different foammaterials may be employed. The foam composition of the cushion may takethe form of a polyurethane foam which, being resilient, decreases thedeceleration forces encountered by the object 12 upon impact or the foamcomposition may take the form of a polyethylene layer which serves as asupporting platform for the contents of the package when fluid pressureis applied to the fluid tight compartment. In some instances, evenpolystyrene may be employed for cushioning or shock absorbing purposes.

It is to be noted that the cushion compartment end wall 18 includes anintegral hinge portion 22 which is suitably secured to the end of thecomposite fluid tight compartment 8 so that the compartment constitutesa flap hingeably connected to the cushion compartment 9. Suchconstruction permits the fluid tight compartment to be laid back fromthe cushion compartment to facilitate packing or assembly of the cushion28 into the cushion compartment. A feature of the present inventionresides in this construction since complete access is made to thecushion compartment for the assembly and installation of the cushionmaterial so that the material can be laid into the compartment withrelative ease and without encountering surface binding generally causedby an insertion procedure whereby the material is forced through a slitbetween two adjacent wall sections. Such a conventional insertionprocedure generally causes the corners of the foam material to bind andhang on the wall surfaces so ithat a proper and uniform fit of the foammaterial within the cushion compartment is unobtainable or, at least,made diificult.

The flap type fluid tight compartment and the cushion compartment areprovided with a closure means such as a plastic zipper 30, for example,which includes mating halves secured to edge marginal strip 13 and thetop of the side wall 15 and 16 respectively and end wall 17 of thecushion compartment. The closure means serves to prevent the entry ofdirt, dust and other contaminants into the package interior and to holdthe flap to the cushion compartment when the fluid tight compartment isinflated.- The closure means extends around the pack age on all sideswith the exception of the package side having hinge portion 22. Theopposite ends of the closure means terminate at the opposite ends of thehinge portion which define a small opening, such as represented bynumeral 19, through which air within the object receiving compartmentcan be conducted exteriorly of the package when the fluid tightcompartment is inflated.

Installed on the top of the cushion 21, there is provided a removablepartition or wall 31 for supporting the object or part 12 which requiresthe protection of the packaging means. The partition may be composed ofany suitable material 33 which may be covered on all sides with a thinsheet of vinyl plastic 34 or which may be uncovered. It is to be notedthat the partition 31 is not secured or attached to any structure of thecomposite package but is merely laid in place on top of the cushionwithin the confines of the Walls defining the cushion compartment.

Because of the flap type construction of the fluid tight compartmentwith respect to the cushion compartment, both the partition 31 and theobject to be transported in the package can be readily installed in thepackage without encountering interference from surrounding packagestructure such as is normally encountered by the convention-a1 insertionprocedure through a slit opening.

After installation of the object 12 into the package 7, the fluid tightcompartment is rotated about the hinge 22 and the mating halves of thezipper are aligned and the zipper actuated to secure the fluid tightcompartment to the cushion compartment. During this procedure, the wall11 of the fluid tight compartment comes into contact with the object 12and the supporting surface of the partition 31. The fluid tightcompartment is filled through valves 14 with a gaseous fluid such asnitrogen or air, under a pressure of about 1 to 4 /2 pounds per squareinch, depending upon the weight of the object. The fluid pressuredistends wall 10 and causes wall 11 to hug or skin pack the object inrough conformity to its shape. The edge marginal strip is drawn tightlyabout the edges of the partition.

In actual usage, the improved packaging means of the present inventionprovides for the flap type fluid tight compartment 8 to be rotated aboutits integral hinge connection 22 with the cushion compartment 9 awayfrom the cushion compartment. This removal of the fluid tightcompartment from the opening to the cushion compartment permits completeaccess to the interior of the cushion compartment so that multiplelayers of material or material of various configurations may be easilyand readily place-d into proper position within the confines of thewalls defining the cushion compartment. Once the cushion material hasbeen installed, the semi-rigid partition or other suitable material 31may be placed on top of the cushion compartment so that its objectsupporting surface is completely exposed and free from surroundingelements or structure of the package. The object 12 to be shipped orhandled is placed directly onto this supporting surface of the partitionfollowed by the rotation of the fluid tight compartment 8 on its hinge22 over the object 12 and partition 31 so that the closure means 30associated with the cushion compartment and the edge marginal strip 13of the fluid tight compartment 8 are properly aligned. The closure meansis actuated to secure the compartments together and to place the wall 11of the fluid tight compartment into contact with the supporting surfaceof the partition and the object.

The introduction of a gaseous fluid through the valve 14 introduces afluid pressure in the fluid tight compartment which distends wall andcauses wall 11 to skin pack the object in rough conformity to its shapeagainst the supporting surfaces of the partition. The object is therebyheld firmly against the cushion so that it is not free to move in anydirection. Thus, the object and the air and the foam cushions are ineffect made integral, and there is no relative movement between themwhile the package is being shipped or handled or upon drop impact of thepackage.

Referring now to FIGURES 3 and 4, another embodiment of the presentinvention is shown wherein the fluid tight compartment is fabricated intwo sections represented by numerals 40 and 41. The two fluid tightsections are joined at a hinge joint 42, so that the two sections form acomposite flap "hingeably attached to the cushion compartment 9 by hinge22. The interiors of the two inflatable sections communicate via aplurality of air passages, such as passage 44 which extend through thehinged joint as shown more clearly in FIGURE 4. The joint may besuitably formed by intermittently heat sealing, sewing or cementing thefilm walls together which constitute the fluid tight compartment alongthe hinged joint so that the plurality of air passages are provided.Fluid introduced through the valve means 14 will thus cause bothsections of the fluid ti-ght compartment to inflate. Fastening means 45is provided which secures the free end of the fluid tight compartment tothe cushion compartment to complete the package.

This particular embodiment has been found useful for protecting objectsof irregular configuration such as conical or pyramid type objectswherein the geometry of the configuration makes packaging diflicult. Asillustrated, the object 12 packaged is a clock mounted in a pyramidhousing having the base of the housing resting on the wall or partition31 of the package while the apex of the housing is disposed between thetwo sections of the fluid tight compartment adjacent the hinge joint.Upon inflation of the fluid tight compartment, the walls 11 of the fluidtight compartment sections billow and distend about the upper portion ofthe object 12 to engage and hold the object against the partition andthe foam cushion compartment. In this embodiment, the opposite sides ofthe inflated package are open to the extent that the walls 11 of thefluid tight compartment sections do not distend into contact with eachother. However, for many applications, it is not necessary to completelyenclose the object to be transported in order to protect the object fromundesired shocks.

Referring now to FIGURE 5, a modification of the embodiment shown inFIGURE 3 is illustrated incorporating the present invention and furtherincluding film side walls 46 and 47 located on opposite sides of thepackage having a general configuration in the form of a triangle. Thesides of the triangularly shaped walls are secured to the edge marginalregions of the fluid tight compartment sections, wherein the apex of thewalls mate with the opposite ends of the hinge joint 42 and wherein acontinuous fastening or securing means, such as a zipper, may beaccommodated along the base of the walls. The fastening means extendfrom the opposite edges or ends of the hinge joint 22 along the base ofthe walls 46 and 47 and.

along the free end of the fluid tight compartment sections. Fabricationin this fashion, permits the fastening means to be actuated tocompletely secure the fluid tight compartment including the side wallsto the cushion compartment for completely enclosing and sealing theobject 12 supported on the partition 31.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been illustratedand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatvarious changes and modifications may be made without departing from theinvention, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all suchmodifications and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scopeof this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A package for packing a fragile object comprising:

an object receiving compartment;

a fluid tight compartment hingeably connected to said objectcompartment;

an impact shock absorbing cushion contained in said object receivingcompartment;

a partition member disposed on said shock absorbing cushion resilientlysupporting the object within said object receiving compartment; and

means for introducing a gaseous fluid into said fluid tight compartmentfor skin packing the object contained in said object receivingcompartment against said partition member and thereby rendering itimmobile within the object receiving compartment.

2. A package for packing a fragile object comprising:

an open object receivingcompartment defined by walls and a commonbottom;

a fluid tight compartment hingeably connected to said object receivingcompartment and adapted to be positioned over said object receivingcompartment to close the opening thereof;

said compartments being comprised of flexible plastic film materialsinterconnected at the edges to form the respective compartments;

an impact shock absorbing cushion contained in said object receivingcompartment on said bottom within said walls;

a removable partition member disposed on said shock absorbing cushionhaving peripheral edges in close proximity to said walls and resilientlysupporting the object within said object receiving compartment; and

means for introducing a gaseous fluid into said fluid tight compartmentfor skin packing the object contained in said object receivingcompartment against said partition member and thereby rendering itimmobile within the object receiving compartment.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said fluid tightcompartment includes a pair of inflatable sections joined in end-to-endrelationship by a hinge and being foldable about the object.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said hinge includes afluid passage communicating the interior of said inflatable sectionswith respect to each other and fastener means operable to couple the endof one of said inflatable sections to said object receiving compartmentto secure said fluid tight compartment about the object.

5. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said hinge includes afluid passage communicating the interior of said inflatable sectionstogether;

a pair of side walls secured along the opposite edges of said fluidtight compartment; and

closure means operably coupling said fluid tight compartment to saidobject receiving compartment along said side walls from one end of saidhingeable con nection to its opposite end.

6. The invention as defined in claim 3,

including closure means carried on said object receiving compartment andsaid fluid tight compartment operating jointly for releasably securingsaid compartments together.

7. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said impact shockabsorbing cushion material is comprised of outside layers of a closedcell polyethylene foam and an intermediate layer of an open cellpolyurethane foam, said layers being in sandwich arrangement.

8. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said partition memberincludes a vinyl plastic covering about all sides of said partitionmember and wherein said partition member is composed of semi-rigidmaterial.

7 8 9. A container for packing a fragile object comfastener means fordetachably securing the free end of prising: said fluid tightcompartment to said object receiving coman object receiving compartment;partment, a fluid tight compartment; 11. The invention as defined inclaim 9 including a pair said compartments being comprised of flexibleplastic 5 of side walls;

film materials interconnected at their edge marginal each of said sidewalls having three peripheral edges regions to form said respectivecompartments; wherein two of said wall edges are secured to the saidfluid tight compartment having a pair of inflatable side edges of saidinflatable sections; and

sections arranged in end-to-end relationship and closure means extendingalong said third wall edge being foldable about the object; 10 of eachside wall and along the free end of said a hinge connecting said pair ofinflatable sections tofluid tight compartment and further extending fromgether; said hinge having a plurality of fluid passages one end of saidhinge means to its opposite end for intercommunicating the interiors ofsaid inflatable detachably securing said fluid tight compartment tosections; said object receiving compartment. hinge means pivotallyconnecting one end of said fluid 15 tight compartment to said objectreceiving compart- Refefences filed y the Examine! UNITED STATES PATENTSat said object receiving compartrrfent' 0 1827322 10/1931 Lindermann'3,138,248 6/1964 Abbott 20646 a removal partition member disposed onsaid cushion 3 192 978 6/1965 Horvath 217 35 X between said fluid tightcompartment and said object receiving compartment for resilientlysupporting the EI N PATENTS oblw; q 23,965 1897 Great Britain. means forintroducing a gaseous fluid into said fluid 2:) 2 505 05 Great Britaintight compartment for skin packing the object con- 848,243 9/1960 GreatBritain tained in said object receiving compartment against 71 179 19 1Great Britain said cushion and thereby rendering the object immobilewithin said object receiving compartment. LOUIS G. MANCENE, PrimaryExaminer. 10. The invention as defined in claim 9 including

1. A PACKAGE FOR PACKING A FRAGILE OBJECT COMPRISING: AN OBJECTRECEIVING COMPARTMENT; A FLUID TIGHT COMPARTMENT HINGEABLY CONNECTED TOSAID OBJECT COMPARTMENT; AN IMPACT SHOCK ABSORBING CUSHION CONTAINED INSAID OBJECT RECEIVING COMPARTMENT; A PARTITION MEMBER DISPOSED ON SAIDSHOCK ABSORBING CUSHION RESILIENTLY SUPPORTING THE OBJECT WITHIN SAIDOBJECT RECEIVING COMPARTMENT; AND MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A GASEOUS FLUIDINTO SAID FLUID TIGHT COMPARTMENT FOR SKIN PACKING THE OBJECT CONTAINEDIN SAID OBJECT RECEIVING COMPARTMENT AGAINST SAID PARTITION MEMBER ANDTHEREBY RENDERING IT IMMOBILE WITHIN THE OBJECT RECEIVING COMPARTMENT.